Dr. Jamie Wind Whitmarsh is an American composer, percussionist, conductor, and cat enthusiast based in Oklahoma City. He serves as Principal Timpanist of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, as Artistic Director and conductor for the Oklahoma Composer’s Orchestra, and as a faculty member at Oklahoma City University and University of Central Oklahoma. He regularly performs with Duo Rodinia as well as the Great Plains Percussion Group. In addition to his duties with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Jamie also appears with the Fort Smith Symphony Orchestra and the Norman Philharmonic. Since 2018, Jamie has served as Director of Composition for YES Academy – Lebanon, a two-week artistic intensive created by American Voices that is dedicated to bringing American music to different parts of the world, and has since taught with YES Academy programs in Kurdistan and Egypt.
As a performer, Jamie is a multiple-time soloist at the Oklahoma Day of Percussion and has performed for the 2012, 2015 and 2016 College Music Society Southern Regional Conferences. He can be heard on The Music of Florence Price: The Fort Smith Symphony (NAXOS Records 2019), Firefish: Music of Blake Tyson, The Florida State University Percussion Ensemble, Volume II: Not Far From Here, and The Florida State University Percussion Ensemble, Volume III: Ten Windows, which contains his work NAILS!!!. As a chamber musician, Jamie has performed with Duo Rodinia at numerous universities as well as at the 2015 and 2016 CMS Southern Regional Conferences, the SCI 50th National Convention, the 2016 SCI National Student Convention, as the featured guest artists for the 2016 SCI Region VI Conference, as guest artist ensemble for the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, and Carnegie Hall. Additionally, the Great Plains Percussion Group has performed multiple times at the Oklahoma and Arkansas Day of Percussion and recently presented a New Literature Session at the National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy.
As a composer, Jamie has a vast catalogue of concert music, music for steel bands, and marching band shows. His work Aqueous Transfusion may be heard on Tyler Tolles’ debut album In Touch (Garnet House Prod. 2016),, Rogue Two's debut album Step Inside: New American Music for Saxophone and Percussion (Equilibri 2017) includes his work Buckle Up, and his works Portraits and Insights may be heard on Ryan Beach’s disc Insights (MSR Classics 2021). His music has been performed at national and international conventions and conferences, including the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest, The World Saxophone Congress in Croatia, the North American Saxophone Alliance Convention, the Society of Composers, Incorporated Regional Conference, International Trumpet Guild Convention, MTNA National and State Conventions, Florida Flute Association Convention, Oklahoma Day of Percussion, and the 16th Biennial Festival of New Music at Florida State University, as well as by such groups as the Tallahassee Composer's Orchestra, Oklahoma Composer’s Orchestra, Northern Illinois University Philharmonic, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Broadway Community Chorus, National Broadway Chorus, Florida State University Percussion Ensemble, soprano Rachelle Fleming, principal trumpet of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra Ryan Beach, steel pan virtuoso Liam Teague, and many more. As a conductor, Jamie has premiered many works, and has conducted at several high-profile events, including at both the 16th and 17th Biennial Festival of New Music at Florida State University, the Florida Flute Association 2015 Convention, Oklahoma Day of Percussion, the world premiere of Ben Harrell's opera Plight, the YES Academy - Lebanon, and more. He is sought after as a wind/percussion arranger with A103 Marching.
Jamie holds a Doctorate in Percussion Performance from the University of Oklahoma, a Master's degree in Music Composition from Florida State University, and a Bachelor's degree in Music with concentrations in Percussion Performance and Music Composition from Oklahoma City University. He studied percussion with David Steffens, Steve Craft, Lance Drege, Andrew Richardson, Ben Fraley and Tommy Dobbs; composition with Edward Knight, Ladislav Kubik, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Lendell Black, Kris Maloy, and Mark Wingate; conducting with Matthew Mailman; and steel pan with Mia Gormandy.
His music is published by Jamie Wind Whitmarsh Music, C. Alan Publications, and Engine Room Publications. He is a member of SCI, ASCAP, and PAS and serves on the Composition Contest Committee for PAS as well as chair of the Composition Education Subcommittee. In addition to Remo, Jamie proudly endorses Innovative Percussion products and is a member of the Black Swamp Educator Network.
"I play Remo heads throughout the entire Oklahoma City Philharmonic season, on my drum set, and on my concert snare drum. I love the way Remo heads feel and sound!"
Photo by Michael Anderson, performingartsphotos.com
